The Family Medicine department at Primary Care Associates of Appleton proudly participates in the national Reach Out and Read program, encouraging you to read daily with your child to promote early literacy. With this program, you will leave your child's well-baby or well-child pediatric visit with a book and a smile on your face, knowing we care about your child's future.

In the Reach Out and Read program, every child age 6 months through 5 years will receive a new age-appropriate book at their pediatric wellness visit. If a child completes the entire program, he or she can expect to receive a total of 9 books throughout their first five years of life.

Recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning in infancy. Parents served by Reach Out and Read are more likely to read to their young children, read to them more often, provide more books in the home, and their children entering kindergarten are better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills. And developing strong literacy skills as a child could lead to better health as they grow: literacy level, not income, is the strongest predictor of health outcomes in adults.

PCAA Family Medicine physician, Dr. Amy Servais, is the medical director for the Reach Out and Read program at Primary Care Associates of Appleton. Learn more about the national Reach Out and Read program at www.reachoutandread.org.